Six-Story Barbie Emporium Opens in Shanghai

Posted on March 8, 2009

A huge six-story Barbie store is opening in downtown Shanghai. BBC News reports that the store has a huge Barbie collection, a spa, a nail salon, a pink and black restaurant and a computer center where visitors can design a Barbie doll.

The six-storey emporium displays almost 900 different Barbie dolls, many of which date back decades.

It also contains a spa, a bar and a studio where fans can try on human-sized items from Barbie's wardrobe. Inside, the 900 different Barbies are exhibited in glass cases that form a three-storey spiral staircase.

Browsers can get their nails done, sit in a glitzy bar with a fashion runway or eat in a pink and black restaurant. There is also a computer studio were Barbie die-hards can design and take away their ideal version of the doll.

Barbie Shanghai also includes a cafe, fashion runway, girl fashion and show wall, photobooth and Barbie Spa.

The website for Barbie Shanghai has information about each of the store's special features and says a 360 degree virtual tour will be coming soon. The site even has cute Barbie icons to represent the Barbie emporium in the directions to the Shanghai store.

Here's a video about the Shanghai Barbie Emporium from the Wall Street Journal.

You can read more about the Shanghai opening on Reuters.com.

Barbie Shanghai remained opened until March 2011 when Mattel closed the store. Here's a documentary about the extraordinary store.


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